Public consultation launched for new £500,000 community facility in town

A consultation has launched to gather views for a proposed new community hub in Ramsey.

The proposed plans will look like this

The hub will be an extension to Ramsey Cricket Club and will be available for use to members of the community.

Led by Ramsey Million, the provisional plans will see an extension to the cricket club that will allow more spaces to be used by the community.

A planning application hasn’t been officially submitted as Ramsey Million and Ramsey Neighbourhoods Trust want to consult residents about what they want before proceeding.

Val Fendley, playground manager at Ramsey Million, said: “We have been working on this for a while. We have been told that the community does need more space, especially for the youth groups and families with young children.

The plans so far are set to look like this

“We decided that what a great way to find out what people want by holding a consultation. A lot of people have already told us that they want a more relaxed space, so we are looking forward to hearing feedback.

“We want the space to be multifunctional, and that everyone in Ramsey can use it. We do realise that the building will need to be sustainable, so we are hoping that we will get as much use out of it as possible.”

The cost of the extension hasn’t been confirmed yet but it is estimated that it could cost about £500,000.

A substantial amount of the funding will come from the Ramsey Million trust, but it is anticipated that additional funding will need to found from elsewhere.

The plans so far are set to look like this

The mayor of Ramsey, Councillor Doug McIlwain said: “I am always supportive of anything that can benefit the community in Ramsey. I hope that by adding more community spaces it can help develop the town more.

“However, I think that there will only be a place for it if we manage to grow the town. If no growth occurs then I don’t think we will be able to sustain it.

“I do think that we need to have more development first for this to work. Because the more houses we build, the more of a use it will have in the community. They both will come hand-in-hand.

“I am looking forward to discussing the plans and finding out more details.”

You can see the plans on June 4, from 10am-12pm and 1-5pm at Ramsey Library.